Classic Football Squads: Inter Milan 2004/2005

[Desert Eagle]

One of the most fun teams of all time captained by the goat right back in Javier Zanetti.

Toldo in goal was a beast and imposing. Was close to Buffons level at that time.

The defense had that South American nastiness with Cordoba and Burdisso with some Marco Materrazi as well. Also featured late great legendary free kick taker Siniša Mihajlović

Midfield was stacked too with Veron, Cambiasso, Davids, Emre, Stankovic.

And the forward line of Recoba, Adriano, Vieri, Obafemi Martins.

One of the best winning eleven/pro evo teams of all time and one of the best kits of all time as well.

Think they only won a Coppa Italia that year with a long range stunner from Adriano in the final iirc.

 

[Red the Bear]

I don't think it was a particularly great team to be honest, most of those folk where past it and I don't think they would have gone on their title winning streak had juven been still around.

 

[Vidyoyo]

Inter Mailand sounds like a PES name too

 

[Pintu]

I don't think it was a particularly great team to be honest, most of those folk where past it and I don't think they would have gone on their title winning streak had juven been still around.

CL winning Milan were still around (but without Sheva). The Inter that won the titles in 06-10 had added Vieira, Zlatan, Samuel… and later on Motta, Eto’o Milito Snejder… Not the same team as 04/05.

 

[Jim Beam]

That came out of nowhere.

 

[Red the Bear]

CL winning Milan were still around (but without Sheva). The Inter than won the titles in 06-10 had added Vieira, Zlatan, Samuel… and later on Motta, Eto’o Milito Snejder… Not the same team as 04/05.

I know i must have clarified inter in general, they definitely wouldn't have gone on to dominate the Italian football had it not been for the post caliciopoli fallout.

Inter for example wouldn't have gotten zlatan otherwise and ac milan's team was simply too old to sustain a title winning in form for the entire season.

 

[avgp_1]

The defence wasn't that great. And they were up against Milan and Juve who were just incredible really at that point of time

 

[kaku06]

One of the most fun teams of all time captained by the goat right back in Javier Zanetti.

Toldo in goal was a beast and imposing. Was close to Buffons level at that time.

The defense had that South American nastiness with Cordoba and Burdisso with some Marco Materrazi as well. Also featured late great legendary free kick taker Siniša Mihajlović

Midfield was stacked too with Veron, Cambiasso, Davids, Emre, Stankovic.

And the forward line of Recoba, Adriano, Vieri, Obafemi Martins.

One of the best winning eleven/pro evo teams of all time as well.

Think they only won a Coppa Italia that year with a long range stunner from Adriano in the final iirc.

That isn’t a good team even on paper. Look Milan for a fun team.

 

[kaku06]

One of the most fun teams of all time captained by the goat right back in Javier Zanetti.

Toldo in goal was a beast and imposing. Was close to Buffons level at that time.

The defense had that South American nastiness with Cordoba and Burdisso with some Marco Materrazi as well. Also featured late great legendary free kick taker Siniša Mihajlović

Midfield was stacked too with Veron, Cambiasso, Davids, Emre, Stankovic.

And the forward line of Recoba, Adriano, Vieri, Obafemi Martins.

One of the best winning eleven/pro evo teams of all time as well.

Think they only won a Coppa Italia that year with a long range stunner from Adriano in the final iirc.

Also, is this the same team pedigreeless Arsenal slapped 5-1 at San Siro?

 

[Desert Eagle]

Also, is this the same team pedigreeless Arsenal slapped 5-1 at San Siro?

The best team arsenal ever had and yes they weren't great team but they had some brilliant players

That isn’t a good team even on paper. Look Milan for a fun team.

Obviously that Milan team was better but you telling me a team with Veron, Davids, Adriano, Recoba, Zanetti etc isn't good on paper?

 

[kaku06]

The best team arsenal ever had and yes they weren't great team but they had some brilliant players


Obviously that Milan team was better but you telling me a team with Veron, Davids, Adriano, Recoba, Zanetti etc isn't good on paper?

A past Veron, a past Davids, Recoba didn’t play that much in 2004/05. Adriano just joined inter and played only few times. So yes, that wasn’t a good team at all.

 

[2 man midfield]

It feels a bit like the United team of ‘05 in that you see all those great names on paper and nearly twenty years on you go “bloody hell, what a side” forgetting most weeks it was a frustrating watch and a side in transition.

Great kit though, always loved that inter shirt

 

[altodevil]

Incredible kit and crest

 

[Desert Eagle]

A past Veron, a past Davids, Recoba didn’t play that much in 2004/05. Adriano just joined inter and played only few times. So yes, that wasn’t a good team at all.

He played 40 plus games that year. Pretty sure that was the best year of his career too with 10 CL goals in 9 appearances, 28 in all comps. Veron would still be class for a few years after this winning the Copa Libetadores for his boyhood club Estudiantes in 2009.

 

[2 man midfield]

I actually forgot Edgar Davids even played for inter. For some reason I’d wiped it from my mind and assumed he went Juve>Barca>Tottenham then a string of lower league English clubs for some reason

 

[Desert Eagle]

It feels a bit like the United team of ‘05 in that you see all those great names on paper and nearly twenty years on you go “bloody hell, what a side” forgetting most weeks it was a frustrating watch and a side in transition.

Great kit though, always loved that inter shirt

They're probably a team completely unsuited for the modern day game but it was basically Individual brilliance FC on steroids.

 

[kaku06]

He played 40 plus games that year. Pretty sure that was the best year of his career too with 10 CL goals in 9 appearances, 28 in all comps. Veron would still be class for a few years after this winning the Copa Libetadores for his boyhood club Estudiantes in 2009.

You are correct about Adriano but other than few players like him, Zanetti, Ivan Córdoba etc. they weren’t a good team at all. Neither their performances were good nor they were fun to watch, I don’t know what made you say that.

 

[Lay]

Also, is this the same team pedigreeless Arsenal slapped 5-1 at San Siro?

yeah But the reverse fixture was a 3-0 win for Inter. I think Martins scored a brace.

anyway this team was lethal on Pro Evo. Martins had 99 pace and Adriano had 99 shot power.

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

You are correct about Adriano but other than few players like him, Zanetti, Ivan Córdoba etc. they weren’t a good team at all. Neither their performances were good nor they were fun to watch, I don’t know what made you say that.

They were quite good, certainly compared to the previous season though i don't remember them being very exciting. You don't finish in 3rd in Serie A then without being at the very least a solid team. They also looked good in the CL that year with Adriano on fire, until Milan's experience and their fans ended it. the veteran nature of their lineup suited the CL more than a league grind, but they didn't have that advantage over Milan.

Overall though, too many old and injury prone players to maintain consistency and recent signings that flopped or struggled like Kily Gonzalez, Cruz, Martins, Emre, Ze Maria, van der Meyde

18 draws too. Looking at the high number of draws in that season in general, it's often a sign of likely corruption and agreed games.

 

[GuybrushThreepwood]

It was against Ranieri’s struggling / unravelling Valencia team, but I remember their thumping 5-1 win at the Mestalla in the CL group stages. And also their league game against Sampdoria when they were 2-0 down with a couple of minutes plus injury time left, but won 3-2.

Their Coppa Italia triumph was the first time that they won a trophy for 7 years since 1998 (despite spending an absolute fortune on transfer fees and wages).

There were a few games in which Adriano was just unplayable, on the back of his 2004 Copa América exploits.

 

[Pintu]

Also, is this the same team pedigreeless Arsenal slapped 5-1 at San Siro?

Not the same Inter. You are talking about the previous season against the best Arsenal ever... But even then, there is a context. That night against Arsenal the midfield was "Lamouchi, Cristiano Zanetti, and Van der Meyde + J Zanetti".... When they had Kily Gonzalez and Emré available for the first leg (and J.Zanetti playing in his natural position) they won 3-0 in Highbury despite missing their main strikers (Vieri and Recoba).

 

[giorno]

Ah, the X-Men. Unforgettable

 

[abundance]

uuuh nice thread, I missed this =)

That isn’t a good team even on paper. Look Milan for a fun team.

Milan was clearly a way better team that year, but that Inter *was* a fun team on its own.

IMHO that first version of Mancini's Inter played the most pleasing to the eye and entertaining football of the whole Moratti's era.

Strikers battery was heavy metal.
Defenders were a bunch of pirates.
Wingers, they were nothing special but they were truly spirited that year, especially Van Der Meyde.
And that midfield, it really clicked.
Despite flopping at Utd, Veron was still at his best for us, supremely elegant. Stankovic wasn't creaking physically yet and he was still a total midfielder masterclass, dude was a tactical encyclopedia with a Bolshoi dancer first-touch. Cambiasso went from obscure Real reject to hero in the space of few weeks. Emre and Karagounis were two energetic mini-bulldogs sidekicks, but with flair and tecnique. Davids was meh but we didn't need him.

The team was very imperfect still but it always wanted to play ball openly.
We set the record of draws (18) for 20-teams Serie A, with equal parts epic comebacks, spectacular bunders, and chances-squandering assaults.

Overall performance wasn't worth any more than the distant 3rd place that we got, but yeah, it was fun.

Also, is this the same team pedigreeless Arsenal slapped 5-1 at San Siro?

Nope. As Pintu's said...

Not the same Inter. You are talking about the previous season against the best Arsenal ever... But even then, there is a context. That night against Arsenal the midfield was "Lamouchi, Cristiano Zanetti, and Van der Meyde + J Zanetti".... When they had Kily Gonzalez and Emré available for the first leg (and J.Zanetti playing in his natural position) they won 3-0 in Highbury despite missing their main strikers (Vieri and Recoba).

... and most importantly, in-between the 0-3 in Highbury and the 1-5 in San Siro we sacked Cuper for a moron (Tardelli, awesome player, awesomely stupid coach).

That was typical Moratti: Cuper's time was arguably truly over at the end of the previous season, after two years where we so narrowly and painfully missed a Scudetto and a CL final.
But Moratti didn't want to say goodbye, out of his sentimentalism and "we're family" vibes... only to end up sacking him abruptly few weeks into the seasons, after a Milan derby loss, when we were arguably and unexpectedly not playing bad at all.

 

[LA BOMBA]

This Inter was very attack heavy.

Adriano, Martins and Vieri all played, with Cruz and Recoba getting loads of playing time as well.

The problem was the midfield where Veron and Davids were clearly past it, and van der Meyde was a flop.

From my memory only Cambiasso and Stanković performed well in their midfield. The likes of C. Zanetti, Emre etc were flops. Ze Maria also got a lot of minutes and he was also mediocre.

They also had problems with LB where old Favalli played most games.

J. Zanetti, Cordoba, Materazzi and Toldo were quality.

Overall it just wasn't a well balanced side. They lacked elite players on key positions.

A fun side but nowhere near the quality of Juventus and Milan who were covered on all positions.

I remember how frustrating those times were for Inter fans. They haven't won the league since 1989 despite spending a fortune while their biggest rivals Milan and Juve were winning loads of titles. Even Roma with Totti and Cassano looked like a better team until they started selling all the key players.

It was during this season that they threw flares on the pitch, creating that famous Materazzi and Rui Costa photo. This was the level of frustration after not winning anything significant for so long, even after coming really close in 2002 and losing the league on last match day.

 

[FootballHQ]

The defence wasn't that great. And they were up against Milan and Juve who were just incredible really at that point of time

I always had it in my mind that Seria A was well past it's peak compared to the 90s in the mid 2000s but when you look at the squads Inter and the two you had mentioned they were still very good and still competitive in the later stages of CL.

The drop off from the 90s was Lazio money running out so they had to downsize very quickly and dropped down the league. Roma also declined from the 2001 title win and Fiorentina went bust and got relegated. Same eventually happened to Parma aswell so went from a very strong top 6-7 to just three powerhouses.

 

[eire-red]

I remember some good fun with them on Pro Evo 4 / 5. I vaguely remember Vieri being unreal in those games.

 

[LA BOMBA]

The drop off from the 90s was Lazio money running out so they had to downsize very quickly and dropped down the league. Roma also declined from the 2001 title win and Fiorentina went bust and got relegated. Same eventually happened to Parma aswell so went from a very strong top 6-7 to just three powerhouses.

Yes but the decline of those clubs strengthened the big three who picked up all the great players on cheap.

If you look at that Lazio team, practically all the great players they had went to other Serie A teams.

Nesta, Pancaro and Stam went to Milan. Nedved went to Juventus. Stanković, Mihajlović, Favalli and Crespo went to Inter.

Similar thing was going on at Fiorentina when they were getting in financial trouble. Batitusta and Balbo went to Roma, Rui Costa to Milan, Toldo to Inter.

Then Roma was having financial trouble and they sold all their best players to other Serie A teams. Cafu to Milan, Emerson to Juventus, Walter Samuel ended up at Inter after a brief stint at Real Madrid. Chivu also went to Inter later on.

Parma also kept selling their best players to Serie A rivals even when they still had money like Buffon and Thuram to Juve, Cannavaro and Almeyda to Inter, Veron and Crespo to Lazio.

What made the Serie A strong was that the best clubs kept selling their best players to each other, keeping the talent in the league. This is different to Premier League where clubs prefer to sell abroad than to their rivals.

Because of this by 2005 Milan, Juventus and Inter had very strong teams, even if the rest of the league was worse. It was only after calciopoli in 2006 that Serie A declined and it basically became a 1 club league with Inter winning 5 in a row.

 

[giorno]

Good post. League did decline as a whole in the early 00s, but Milan, Inter and Juventus were still 3 of the 5 richest clubs in the world at this time, so they were able to build stacked teams. Then Abramovich came around and pushed the envelope beyond what the big 3 could match, and then calciopoli set juventus and milan back years. League spiralled downward until it hit a nadir in 12/13, then started picking back up again

This past season Inter fecked up against Atletico, missing waaaay too many chances, otherwise they likely would have made the final and realistically could have won the CL

 

[Red the Bear]

Good post. League did decline as a whole in the early 00s, but Milan, Inter and Juventus were still 3 of the 5 richest clubs in the world at this time, so they were able to build stacked teams. Then Abramovich came around and pushed the envelope beyond what the big 3 could match, and then calciopoli set juventus and milan back years. League spiralled downward until it hit a nadir in 12/13, then started picking back up again

This past season Inter fecked up against Atletico, missing waaaay too many chances, otherwise they likely would have made the final and realistically could have won the CL

Yeah but the Italian national team hasn't really recovered since then which is a shame.

 

[giorno]

Yeah but the Italian national team hasn't really recovered since then which is a shame.

Eh, we won the euros in 2021. 2010 was on Lippi, after that yeah we lacked the quality attackers, but still we had great defenders and midfielders, enough to be at least decent. 2014 and the 2018 WC qualifiere were on the managers. Last WC was a fluke, Jorginho scores just 1 of the penalties against Switzerland and we win the group. Were unlucky too. Shit happens

The quality across this squad isn't bad. It's not great shakes of course, but we do have better players than Switzerland for example. This was...honestly unacceptable

 

[Red the Bear]

Eh, we won the euros in 2021. 2010 was on Lippi, after that yeah we lacked the quality attackers, but still we had great defenders and midfielders, enough to be at least decent. 2014 and the 2018 WC qualifiere were on the managers. Last WC was a fluke, Jorginho scores just 1 of the penalties against Switzerland and we win the group. Were unlucky too. Shit happens

The quality across this squad isn't bad. It's not great shakes of course, but we do have better players than Switzerland for example. This was...honestly unacceptable

You may won it in 2021 but even then you've got to admit, you fallen behind the other big European boys in terms of producing talent, Spain England and specially France's output have simply been much more numerous than what Italy has been able to put up.

But I do concur your overall quality as of now Isn't too bad, probably ahead of Belgium but behind France Spain Portugal England and Germany.

 

[giorno]

You may won it in 2021 but even then you've got to admit, you fallen behind the other big European boys in terms of producing talent, Spain England and specially France's output have simply been much more numerous than what Italy has been able to put up.

Oh yes, absolutely

 

[Robertd0803]

Great thread idea.

Mourinhos Inter was better. Not just because they won everything but to watch.

04/05 Inter were far behind much stronger AC Milan and Juve teams.

 

[LA BOMBA]

Great thread idea.

Mourinhos Inter was better. Not just because they won everything but to watch.

04/05 Inter were far behind much stronger AC Milan and Juve teams.

Mourinho's Inter had an experienced world class player on almost every position.

Their only problem was their age. It was basically now or never for them and after they won everything and Mourinho left, the team just imploded due to age and loss of motivation and they needed a decade to rebuild.

Moratti's biggest problem was that after Mourinho left he didn't sell any of the players except Balotelli (who didn't play much by the end of Mourinho's time anyway). Then he hired Rafa Benitez who imediatelly fell out with all the players.

This is why I think City made a great decision letting the likes of Gündogan and Mahrez go last year. Once you win the treble, the players just won't be motivated the same afterwards. Get rid of the old veterans while you still can and inject some fresh blood.

Looking back at the 2010 summer, Inter had an offer of 30 million € for Maicon from Real Madrid. Back then this was still a lot of money. They should have taken offers like this and rebuild the team immediately. Instead Moratti decided to keep the entire unmotivated old guard. Maicon ended up being embarrassed by Bale in the CL, and they got destroyed by Schalke. An aging Milan team won the league that year and then Juve took over the following year while Inter went into their banter period.

I guess Moratti didn't have the energy anymore after the treble either. Mourinho's Inter was basically the best example of win now and don't care about the future.

 

[Grib]

and one of the best kits of all time as well.

Inter always have quality kits

 

[LA BOMBA]

If you're feeling nostalgic about 00s Inter you should watch this incredible documentary.



All the key moments of the Moratti era leading up to the treble, and lots of old footage and photos.

In my opinion, this is by far the best football channel on YouTube!